“Follow?” Lucaz offered. We walked on, but there was uneasy silence among us. The three of them had just been strung up with ease, and I didn’t think they wanted to be captured so easily again. As we turned a corner, the lights stopped floating in place. I stepped forward when the squikkel nattered from us at the opposite side.
“Looks like your friend is back,” Jinn commented. The rodent was louder and gestured with his paws. I felt an arm on my back.
“Wait a second,” Tuko commanded as he reached around on the ground, searching for something. His hand grasped a branch, which he flung toward the lights. They parted and then returned to their formation.
“That’s odd,” Lucaz said and bent over as well. He picked a piece of bark and then tossed it. The swarm moved out of its way.
“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Jinn asked.
“There’s no sound,” I answered. “When they throw the objects, there should be a sound of it ricocheting off the ground.”
“That’s because there is no ground. Probably a pit, likely pretty deep,” Tuko said.
“The pretty lights were leading us into a trap. We’re not going that way. I guess your little friend was trying to warn us,” said Lucaz. “Maybe he can help?”
“Why do guys always call animals a he? Not everything in the world wants to be a male!” Jinn interrupted. Both boys snickered but didn’t answer.
“Glad I made a friend. Where did you want to take us next, little one?” I asked. The rodent blinked its eyes and turned in the opposite direction. It ran ahead without a second look.
“Well, if he’s your lucky charm, we better follow,” Lucaz commented and walked ahead.
“Or the little creature is leading us to another, worse trap. I don’t trust anything down here,” Tuko said.
The root system had a slight incline and as we walked, the walls became greener with vegetation. The smell of the air changed too, a perfumery, flowery smell. Not unpleasant but a bit sickeningly sweet.
“What’s that?” Jinn asked. Ahead of us was a maze of bushes with a flood of unusually colored flowers. Purples and yellows dominated the hues.
“We’d walked into someone’s garden?” Tuko asked, not sensing the threat of the situation.
Lucaz was more reserved. “We saw a similar flower that shot out of the tree and ate the bird,” he said. Everyone stopped.
“You are telling me these flowers eat things?” Jinn asked.
“Unless they get a lot bigger, I don’t think we have to worry,” Tuko responded and stepped forward. A yellow rose flexed its petals and sailed just above Tuko’s head. Its teeth embedded in the root behind it, ripped wood from it, then it returned to the bushes. It made a crunching sound, not unlike an animal eating a bone. Tuko made a face, as if he was reconsidering his comment.
“Everybody stay where you are until we figure out why the flower is attacking,” Lucaz whispered. None of us needed to be told a second time; we froze like statues.
“Is it our voices?” Tuko said quietly. “It leapt when I spoke.”
“Maybe. Do you want to yell at it some more?” I asked. Tuko shook his head. I needed to make some noise. “I’m going to toss the rock in my bag.” I reached in and aimed at the floor in front of us. As the rock ricocheted off the ground, a flower jumped off the hedge and attacked the exact location where the stone had hit.
“Guess that answers our question,” Jinn said, her voice low. I wasn’t sold. The bird we saw that had been grabbed hadn’t made any sound, not even a chirp. It had only pecked the branch.
“Hey, flower — come and get me!” I yelled and then ducked in case my intuition was wrong. I inadvertently closed my eyes, then opened them again. Nothing stirred — no flowers rushed at my body.
I stood up and came as close to the hedge as I dared. I stamped on the ground as hard as I could before immediately jumping back. The flower leapt at where I had stepped as its teeth snapped at the ground.
“Vibrations. The plant attacks based on our sound waves. The bird was pecking at the wood. That is why the flower shot out. The rock and my foot caused vibrations.”
“Great. How are we going to cross here without causing vibrations? Fly?” Tuko said. The same thought crossed my mind, but I had no solution. Then my little friend returned.
“That little fellow is going to get eaten,” Jinn commented.I instinctively moved forward, but Lucaz restrained me.
“Look.” He pointed. The squikkel leapt from hedge to hedge with the flowers keeping their petals closed. Why wasn’t it getting attacked? Did they only go after larger objects?
“It’s not touching the ground. Whatever vibrations we make walking could be avoided if we climb the hedges.” I didn’t relish the prospect of putting myself so close to the flowers.
“We don’t have many options. Unless we go back and find another way, we must climb alongside those plants,” Lucaz said. The three of them nodded. A feeling of pride welled up inside me. People I had only just met were willing to risk their lives for me. Kids I had gone to school with who had known me for my whole life would never have done this. Whatever happened next, I knew I could count on these three for my life.
“Okay. Follow the rodent. Climb the hedges. Don’t let your feet touch the ground. And don’t touch those flowers.”
The hedges were about six feet high and the plants were tough, almost as if the growth was many years old. They would hold our weight. Jinn followed behind me on my hedge; the boys were climbing the other one. The flowers were sparsely mixed and easy to avoid. The rattling of the branches did not faze the flowers as the squikkel moved ahead of us. I climbed carefully.
I peeked over the top of the hedge. In the distance I could see the dark exit of a cave. I assumed it was our way out. Climbing on the hedges made it easier to see. This way we avoided the dead ends of the maze. Jinn and Lucaz were deep in concentration, picking their way out. Tuko looked annoyed, as if he just wanted to get this over with. I hope it didn’t make him careless.
“Ouch!” he cried as he cut his finger on a thorn. A small droplet of blood dripped down his index finger. One of the flowers showed interest in him, slowly weaving in his direction.
“Tuko, stop!” I commanded. But he didn’t. I don’t know if it was fear or frustration, but he kept moving, although the flower was a lot faster. Before it could land a second shot, though, something hard landed on the floor, and the flower turned its attention away from Tuko.
“My pockets are empty now,” Lucaz said. “We’re going to have to come up with another plan. Maybe the flowers can smell blood, because another one is moving toward Tuko.”
He was right. A second flower was slowly circling Tuko from the other side. He was trapped between them. There were too many of these flowers and more would be attracted to Tuko’s cut. I looked ahead at the squikkel running through the bushes, oblivious to the danger and death around it. Or was it? It was fast, the flowers always attacked where you were last. Maybe we could do the same.
“I’ve got an idea,” I said and started to climb off the hedge.
“I’m all ears, fearless leader,” quipped Tuko, who was still rubbing his cut. But he looked scared.
“Shut up and listen,” snapped Jinn.
“If we stand still, our vibrations show the flowers exactly where we are.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Tuko said and Jinn glared at him.
“If we move, the plants attack where we were, not where we are.”
“So if we keep moving, they should only attack behind us,” Lucaz said, nodding.
“It’s a pretty long distance between here and the exit. Those flowers are fast. What if we get tired?” Tuko asked. We were all silent. Don’t get tired.
“Anybody got a better idea?” Jinn asked. None of them responded. There was no better idea. “Then let’s do it.” We climbed down and stepped onto the floor as lightly as possible. No flowers responded to our movements. I looked ahead to our destination.
“The exit is far, probably two minutes of running hard. We can’t turn back if we hit a dead end.”
“We know. Come on, it’s not getting any closer,” Jinn said.
“See you on the other side.” Tuko nodded.
“Go!” I yelled, and we broke into a run.
The air rang with the hissing of flowers narrowly missing our legs and feet. There was a gust as they sailed behind us, narrowly missing their targets. Their aroma was sickeningly sweet. The boys were faster, a few steps ahead of Jinn and me. We turned a corner and I could feel Jinn start to lose her footing. I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me, which brought the flowers closer.
A minute of running hard and my lungs were burning. I was in decent shape, but you can only run full-out for so long before your body protests. The boys were still ahead but looked like they were gassing. Jinn was in the worst shape. Her face was flushed and I thought she was going to pass out. As we turned another bend, she stumbled and was about to crash into the hedge. I grabbed her right arm and pulled her forward, preventing her fall. But a flower rushed right at her leg as we slowed our speed. Jinn made a mini hop and it missed her by a fraction of inch.
The boys had reached the exit and were motioning us to hurry. Tuko almost rushed back into the maze, but Lucaz put his arm across his chest to prevent him. Jinn and I were hand in hand running full tilt. The lactic acid was growing with each step and my legs were on fire. The flowers continued to leap behind us, narrowly missing our necks, arms, and legs. My hand felt sweaty in Jinn’s and for a second I saw fear in her eyes.
We weren’t going to make it. She was defeated and I could feel her legs about to give out. As much as I willed her to keep going, it was inevitable. She fell to the ground, and I tumbled down with her.
19
The End
As I watched the ground rush toward us, I imagined what it would feel like. Dozens of them biting our bodies. Their teeth crushing our bones, gouging our skin. We would die by a thousand bites.
Only we didn’t. As we fell, two sets of arms reached under our shoulders and pulled us forward before we could land. Tuko and Lucaz had come back into the maze. It was like a children’s three-legged race, except the losers would be chomped to death. I could feel Lucaz’s arms holding me tight and I squeezed hard as we tumbled out of the maze. My breath came in ragged gulps and I massaged feeling into my legs. The pain was sharp but I would recover. I looked over at Jinn and Tuko only to realize that I had gotten off lucky. Tuko had been bitten.
“Are you okay?” I asked, but I knew he was hurt. Maybe bad.
“Flesh wound.” Tuko grimaced. He was trying to be tough, but the pain was betraying his usual machismo. Jinn was ripping up strips off her shirt and applying them to his wound as gently as possible.
“This is all my fault,” she cried. “If I hadn’t been so slow, Tuko wouldn’t have risked his life for me.”
“And I would do it again. Family comes first, Jinn,” Tuko answered, and despite me not liking him sometimes, I had to admire him. It almost made up for his cocky attitude.
“Thanks for the save.” I looked at Lucaz.
He gave me a sideways grin. “You may not be family, but I’ve grown attached to you. Besides, you got to get to the end of the trial. Alive.” I punched him on the shoulder. He turned to Jinn. “Is everyone in Armor as loyal to their family?”
“Of course. Although our parents can be a bit overly committed sometimes.”
“Ouch! Not so tight,” Tuko said as she tightened the bandage.
“Baby!” Jinn shook her head in mock dismay, but I could tell that she was being gentler now. “Our dad tends to be overly involved in our decisions.”
“That’s an understatement,” Tuko added. “Sometimes I feel we are following in the footsteps of exactly where he wants us to go. I’m not sure if he’s afraid we will make a mistake that will reflect poorly on him…”
“Or if we won’t follow him onto his seat on the council,” Jinn interjected, “which seems to be the only role that matters to him. Does Spider clan not have the same pressure from your parents?”
Lucaz swallowed hard. “My mother is dead, and it’s different between my father and me. He’s autistic and needs my help to relate to others. I hope he is doing okay now. We’re not usually away from each other this long. But he’s never forced me to be anything I didn’t already want to be. I’ll never be a council member, but I’m good with gadgets, so I’ll always have a role with my clan.” Lucaz turned to me and I dreaded the question I knew he was going to ask. “What kind of pressure do your parents put on you, Pene?”
Jinn made a face.
“My family was always big in conforming. Following the rules, doing as you are told. Kept us safe until my father was killed because he asked too many questions,” I answered. Lucaz gulped as if he regretted asking the question. “I believed my mother was dead too, but now there might be a chance that she is alive. I need to get to the Cradle and find a way in. It maybe the only way to reach her.”
“I’m sorry — I didn’t know about your dad.”
“It’s okay.” I touched Lucaz’s shoulder. “We’ve both lost a parent. I would trade for Jinn and Tuko’s problems with their parents any day.”
“Ouch!” Tuko rubbed his arm and turned his head to the opening ahead. “Bandage is tight, are we ready to keep moving?”
“You know it,” I answered. My muscles ached a bit as I got up. “Let’s finish this.” The opening was dark, like a slit in a tree trunk. The steps moved upward, leading us to our next destination. I didn’t want to fail and become a prisoner again.
The air was moist and blue leaves dripped with moisture. How they grew underground, I didn’t understand. We climbed up; teardrops from the leaves fell onto our faces. The wooden stairs were slippery, slick from use. As I grabbed at the railing, a familiar creature returned.
“Look who’s back!” Lucaz pointed. The squikkel ran ahead of us, leading the way. If there was something dangerous, my friend would meet it first. I quickened my pace. Whatever was waiting for us, I wanted it done with. My friends and I were tired of these trials. We needed to go to the Cradle now to clear my name and find a way out of this world. Playing games in a large tree was not high on my list. Whatever was going to attack us next, I would be ready for it. Yet what I saw next was the opposite of threatening — it was beautiful.
We stepped into a large opening. The area had a small pool with fish-like creatures slowly swimming around. Blossoms of gold and purple surrounded the pool. Their fragrance was wonderful, and they evinced none of the deadliness of the hedge. A colorful parrot flew overhead and perched on a nearby branch. Its eyes were kindly and watched us with interest. The squikkel dashed ahead, skipping from rock to rock. I followed; whatever path it chose must also be safe for me.
“Wow! This place is beautiful.” Jinn leaned toward a flower to smell it, but then thought better of it, considering what we had just faced. There was no apparent exit. The four of us stood around a bunch of rocks, trying to gather in our surroundings.
“Not sure what kind of test this would be. Bore us to sleep?” Lucaz commented.
“Keep alert. I expect something to come after us,” Tuko said. His eyes searched around us; his mistrust was amusing. For first time in a long time, I felt like I deserved a break, no matter how short it was.
“You okay?” Jinn looked at me with inquiring eyes.
“Yes. Despite almost being eaten by flowers, I feel almost relaxed. Maybe the tests are over and I passed.”
“Good luck with that,” Tuko responded with his usual hint of sarcasm. For the first time, his comments didn’t make me angry.
“Why is everything a battle with you? Did your parents really make life that difficult for you?” I needled him, hoping for a reaction. He didn’t disappoint.
“You’ve met my dad, and now you’re an expert on my family? For someone with such a strong opinion, you’d think you would share more about
yours. Was your father easy on you?” Jinn and I looked at each other. She remembered our conversation about my home.
“My dad was tough on me too. He didn’t expect me to follow in his footsteps, but he did expect me to follow the rules.”
“Then you know what it’s like. Constantly on edge, waiting for your father to come down on you.”
“No, he wasn’t like that. He wanted me to be happy at whatever I did, but he didn’t want me to leave… home.” I had to think for a moment. Maybe Tuko and Jinn’s situation wasn’t that different. We had both been put under pressure by our fathers to do what they decided was right.
“Wait a second,” Lucaz interjected. “You guys don’t think you’re the only ones with pressure from your father. Please. Pene has met my dad. Because of his autism, I’ve always been there for him. Never far from his side to make sure he gets what he needs. The pressure,” he yawned and sat down, “was that I could never leave him.”
“Okay so we all have daddy issues — that’s not going to change.” Jinn’s eyelids looked heavy, and she shook her head. “What’s the big solution?”
“Not to go home,” Tuko said, pointing his arm up as if he had struck upon the solution. “My dad can’t force me into anything if I’m not there.” He reclined on a rock.
“Good idea, bro. Nobody can push you around if you run away,” Jinn said sarcastically as she closed her eyes.
“What do you say, Pene? Shall we just avoid our parents?” Lucaz asked. I was ready to say yes when the squikkel jumped onto my chest. It blinked at me and cocked its head as if we needed to get going. Something wasn’t right. I reached into my bag when I touched another hand. His finger grasped the needle and poked me in the hand.
“Ouch! What was that for?” I yelled at Tuko.
“Get up!” he barked.
“Ow! What’s the problem — there isn’t anything threatening here.” But it felt wrong.
“I know. We’re the problem. Something is sapping our wills, making us not care. I think the trees are soaking up our emotions like a sponge.”
Clan World Page 19
